Back in the saddle again
I was just reflecting on how strange, surreal and satisfying (I love alliteration) coming back to Linton has been for me. Back to the newsroom I know and love, but this time with a much bigger job to do. Every place I have worked, I have found myself starting out at the bottom rung, or sometimes a rung or two up the ladder and continuing to climb until I reach the top or a rung close to the top. In retail, that just means you go from crew to assistant manager and then manager, but in the newsroom that means you go from creating content, and for me that was going from never having written a news story in my life to crafting stories to inform, amuse and hopefully satisfy readers of all types. I spent about four and a half years soaking it all up and learning so much about an industry that was previously unknown to me. But I love to learn, and I had the opportunity to learn more every day. Now, as an editor, I am learning all of the many, many intricate parts of creating a newspaper issue, from writing editorial content to putting together all of the parts and pieces using InDesign, creating page PDFs and sending them off to our Greencastle office for printing. There is so much more to this side of the industry than I realized, and my love of learning has been one of the things I’ve leaned on to see me through. Making mistakes is another valuable part of learning, and while I can sometimes beat myself up too much, I am grateful for the blunders that have taught me what NOT to do. That silver lining is what makes me keep trying until I get it right.
I will close this column with a quote from the greatest band in the world, the Ramones. The quote is, of course, a lyric and it has almost no bearing on the subject I’ve been yammering away at, but it’s still from the Ramones and therefore still very cool...
“Chewin’ out a rhythm on my bubble gum...the sun is out, and I want some...it’s not hard, not far to reach, we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach. Up on the roof, out in the street...down in the playground, the hot concrete...bus. ride. is too slow...driver’s got the disco on the radio...Rock, rock, Rockaway Beach... If you ever get sad, or need a reason to jump up and down with a big smile on your face, listen to this song. You can thank me later.
Patti is Editor of the Greene County Daily World. She loves to laugh and also loves kitties. She’s kind of weird but has a heart of gold. If you would like to share a story or just make a friend, she can be reached at pattippdanner@gmail.com.
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